Proteoglycans are normal components of connective tissues and are believed to plan an important role in the regulation and maintenance of the structural integrity of the periodontal tissue. During periodontal disease a gradual dissolution of the connective tissue matrix components takes place which may influence the concentrations and composition of proteoglycans in these tissue. In order to understand the role of proteoglycans in the gingival inflammatory process, we propose to study the synthesis of dermatan sulfate proteoglycans from gingival inflammatory process, we propose to study the synthesis of dermatan sulfate proteoglycans from gingival tissues obtained from donors with healthy gingiva and several donors suffering from various degrees of periodontal disease. The cells will be incubated with radioactive sulfate, glucosamine, or leucine to metabolically label the proteoglycans. With the help of monospecific antibodies the radiolabeled dermatan sulfate proteoglycans will be isolated and characterized in terms of molecular size, composition and size of glycosaminoglycan chains, size of the protein core, and nature of the oligosaccharides present on the protein core. The information obtained through the study will be useful in understanding the role of proteoglycans in gingival inflammation.